Carrier to hold semiconductor device using opposed rollers

ABSTRACT

A carrier for a semiconductor device includes a body having an opening formed therein to receive the semiconductor device and a pair of rollers to hold the semiconductor device between the rollers in the opening.

BACKGROUND

When handling semiconductor devices such as microprocessors for thepurpose of installing the devices in a test fixture, it is known to usecarriers. A semiconductor device may be temporarily inserted in acarrier. The carrier and the device to be tested are transported to atest fixture such as a test interface unit (TIU) and the device, whilestill held in the carrier, is interfaced to the text fixture. After thenecessary test procedure is performed, the carrier and the device aretransported away from the test fixture, and the device is then removedfrom the carrier.

In a known type of carrier, an edge or lip on the carrier contacts thebottom of the device to retain the device within an opening formed inthe carrier to receive the device. With a carrier of this type, certainareas or zones on the bottom of the device package must be kept free ofcontacts so as not to interfere with the handling of the device via thecarrier. Such an arrangement, however, adversely affects the pin-countthat may be provided on the device package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view of a carrier suitablefor use in transporting a semiconductor device to and from a testfixture.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the carrier of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the carrier in juxtapositionwith a semiconductor device to be received by the carrier.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, showing the semiconductordevice received by the carrier.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a conventionaltest fixture to which the semiconductor device may be interfaced.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing the semiconductor device(while held in the carrier) interfaced to the test fixture of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing details of thecarrier of FIGS. 1-4.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing the carrier in juxtapositionwith the semiconductor device.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 7 and 8, showing a subsequent stage inthe handling of the semiconductor device.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIGS. 7-9, showing a subsequent stage inthe handling of the semiconductor device.

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIGS. 7-10, showing a subsequent stage inthe handling of the semiconductor device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view of a carrier 100suitable for use in transporting a semiconductor device (not shown inFIG. 1) to and from a test fixture (not shown in FIG. 1). FIG. 2 is aside cross-sectional view of the carrier 100.

The carrier 100 includes a generally planar body 102. The body 102 hasan opening 104 formed at a central location in the body 102. The opening104 is shaped and sized to substantially match the horizontal profile ofthe package of the semiconductor device to be received by the carrier100. Thus the opening 104 is shaped and sized to receive thesemiconductor device. The opening 104 is defined, at least in part, byguide surfaces 106 (FIG. 2).

The carrier 100 also includes a pair of rollers 108. Each roller 108 ismounted to the body 102 at a respective one of the guide surfaces 106.The rollers 108 are positioned opposite each other at respective sidesof the opening 104. As will be seen, the rollers are pivotably mountedto spring-loaded shafts 110, and are provided to hold the semiconductordevice (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) in the opening 104.

The shafts 110 are each a part of a respective mounting mechanism 112(FIG. 2) for mounting the respective roller 108. Each mounting mechanism112 may include a respective channel 114 which extends into the body 102from the opening 106. Each channel 114 may have received therein therespective shaft 110 and may also house a coil spring 116 to spring-loadthe shaft 110. The coil spring 116 may be provided to bias the shafts110 and the rollers 108 toward the opening 104. The coil spring 116 maycontact a proximal end 118 of the shaft 110 that it biases.

The respective roller 108 may be mounted to the distal end 120 of itsrespective shaft 110 by a pivot pin 122 that allows the roller 108 topivot through a vertical arc. The rollers 108 may be elliptical, in thesense that the cross-sectional profile of the rollers (taken in a planeparallel to the length dimension of the shafts 110) may be entirely orpartially elliptical. The elliptical or partially elliptical profile ofeach roller 108 has a longitudinal axis having a proximal end at whichthe roller 108 is mounted to the shaft 100. The longitudinal axis alsohas a distal end which is opposite to the proximal end of thelongitudinal axis. In some embodiments, the roller 108 may have a lip124 (best seen in FIG. 7) to contact a bottom edge of a semiconductordevice (not shown in FIG. 7) to be received in the carrier 100. The lipis at the distal end of the longitudinal axis of the roller 108 and thusis at the opposite end of the roller 108 from the pivot pin 122.

Each roller 108 also has a slot 126 formed therein. The slot 126 runsalong the longitudinal axis of the respective roller 108. Each mountingmechanism 112 also includes a respective slide pin 128 which is receivedwithin the slot 126 of the respective roller 108. Each slide pin 128 isfree to travel within its respective slot 126 and in a respective pairof slide grooves 130 (only one slide groove of each pair shown in FIG.2). Each roller 108 is mounted between the two slide grooves of itsrespective pair of slide grooves. In some embodiments, the slide grooves130 may be inclined upwardly and inwardly relative to the opening 104,as illustrated in FIG. 2, so that a length direction of the slidegrooves 130 is transverse to the length direction of the shafts 110. Itwill also be observed that the slide grooves 130 are adjacent theopening 104 in the body 102 of the carrier 100. The slot 126, slide pin128 and slide grooves 130 are provided to guide the respective rollerthrough a desired course of motion when the carrier receives thesemiconductor device (not shown in FIG. 2).

The rollers 108 may be made of a suitable material that does notgenerate static electric charges. For example, the rollers may be madeof friction-coated metal or of a thermoplastic resin such as Torlon® orVespel®. The body 102 of the carrier 100 may be made of a material thatis conventionally used for carriers used to transport semiconductordevices.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing a pick and place unit 302positioned to insert a semiconductor device D into the opening 104 ofthe carrier 100.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, showing the semiconductordevice D received by the carrier 100. The semiconductor device D may bea packaged microprocessor, for example, or another type of integratedcircuit device.

In accordance with conventional practices, the carrier 100 and thesemiconductor device D may be engaged by a chuck (schematicallyindicated at 132) at a point in time after the device D has been placedin the opening 104. In accordance with some embodiments, the chuckforces the device D downwardly in the opening 104, thereby forcing therollers 108 downwardly and apart (away from each other), as indicated byarrows 134, so that the device D is engaged between the rollers 108 andheld between the rollers 108 by the spring force of the coil springs116. Further details of the motion of the rollers will be describedbelow. The rollers 108, together with their mounting mechanisms 112,constitute a holding mechanism to hold the semiconductor device D in theopening 104.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a conventionaltest fixture 500 to which the semiconductor device may be interfaced.The test fixture 500 may be of the type referred to as a test interfaceunit (TIU). For example, the test fixture 500 may be of the type used inthe “Summit ATC” test handler manufactured by Delta Design, Inc., Poway,Calif. The test fixture 500 includes a seal block 502 and a contactor504 having pins to which the semiconductor device is to be interfacedfor test purposes.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing the semiconductor device Dheld by the chuck 132 in a position such that the semiconductor device Dis interfaced to the contactor 504 of the test fixture 500 while thesemiconductor device D is held in the carrier 100.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing some details ofthe carrier 100. In particular, FIG. 7 shows one of the rollers 108 andits associated mounting mechanism 112 in a condition in which nosemiconductor device is present and the roller is in an extended or“relaxed” position. It will be noted that due to the interaction of thecoil spring 116, the shaft 110, the pivot pin 122, the slide pin 128 andthe slide groove 130, the roller 108 is inclined upwardly relative tothe shaft 110.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing the semiconductor device D,which has been placed in the opening 104 of the carrier 110, by, e.g., apick and place unit, which is not shown. At this point the semiconductordevice D may rest on the lip 124 of the roller 108.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 7 and 8, showing the carrier 100 andthe semiconductor device D at a point in time when the carrier 100 andthe semiconductor device D have been engaged by the chuck 132. (Tosimplify the drawing, only the portion of the chuck 132 which contactsthe semiconductor device D is shown. However, it should be appreciatedthat the chuck may have other members which are not shown and whichengage the bottom or other portions of the carrier 100.) As a result ofthe downward force applied by the chuck 132 to the semiconductor deviceD, the semiconductor device D is caused to travel downwardly in theopening 104 of the carrier 100. Consequently, the roller 108 is causedto pivot downwardly, and camming action from the roller 108 drives theshaft 110 in the channel 114 away from the opening 104, therebycompressing the coil spring 116. As this occurs, the slide pin 128travels in the slide groove 130 and may also travel in the slot 126 toguide the roller 108.

In the condition shown in FIG. 9, the spring force of the coil spring116 and of the other coil spring (not shown in FIG. 9) associated withthe opposed roller (not shown in FIG. 9) holds the semiconductor deviceD between the rollers 108 in the opening 104 without substantiallycontacting the bottom surface 902 of the semiconductor device D. Thus,there is no need to prescribe “keep out” zones in which pins (not shown)are not allowed on the bottom surface of the semiconductor device D.With this arrangement, the pin count on the semiconductor device D maybe enhanced, or, viewed from another perspective, semiconductor devicesthat lack keep out zones may nevertheless be handled by the testequipment.

In the condition shown in FIG. 9, a robot or other handling device may,by means of the chuck 132, maneuver and transport the semiconductordevice D and the carrier 100 from a staging tray or table (not shown) tothe test fixture.

FIG. 10 shows a subsequent stage of the testing process, in which thesemiconductor device D is brought into initial contact with thecontractor 504 of the test fixture 500. (For ease of comprehension, thecarrier 100 and semiconductor device D are still shown in a horizontalorientation in FIG. 10, although in practice the same may have beenmaneuvered into a vertical orientation to match the orientation of thetest fixture 500, which is also shown as horizontal rather than itscustomary vertical orientation.)

In the condition of FIG. 10, the chuck 132 has driven the semiconductordevice D to the bottom of the opening 104 of the carrier 100, forcingthe roller 108 to pivot further (so as to be essentially aligned withthe shaft 110), and further compressing the coil spring 116.

FIG. 11 shows a further stage of the testing operation, in which thesemiconductor device D is fully engaged with the contactor 504 of thetest fixture 500. In this condition, the testing of the semiconductordevice D may proceed. In accordance with conventional practices, thechuck 132 may include temperature control components (not separatelyshown) so that the semiconductor device D may be maintained at anappropriate temperature or temperatures while test signals are appliedto the semiconductor device D from the test fixture 500.

In the condition shown in FIG. 11, the roller 108 has been driven stillfurther, so that it is slightly past the point of being aligned with theshaft 1110.

When the testing of the semiconductor device D is complete, the chuck132 is moved away from the test fixture 500 to allow the semiconductordevice D to be released from the test fixture 500. The pins (notseparately shown) of the contactor 504, having been compressed byengagement of the semiconductor device D with the contactor 504, mayurge the semiconductor device D back to the position shown in FIG. 10.As the chuck continues to move away from the bottom of the opening 104in the carrier 100, the opposed rollers 108, urged by the springs 116and guided by the inwardly inclined slide grooves 130, pivot upwardlyand push the semiconductor device D upwardly to the position shown inFIG. 9 at which the semiconductor device is again held between theopposed rollers. The carrier 100 and the semiconductor device D may nowbe maneuvered and/or transported by the chuck 132 to an output tray ortable (not shown). At the output table, the chuck may release thecarrier and the semiconductor device, and the latter may then be removedfrom the carrier by the pick and place unit.

As used herein and in the appended claims, “receiving” the semiconductordevice D within the opening 104 of the carrier 100 includes thesemiconductor device D being moved within the opening 104.

The bias arrangement for the shaft 110 need not include a coil spring116. Alternatively, for example, another type of spring such as a leafspring or torsion spring may be used, or the biasing force may beapplied pneumatically.

The elliptical rollers 108 are one example of grip elements that may beemployed to hold the semiconductor device therebetween, but other typesof members (e.g., non-pivoting plungers) may alternatively be used asgrip elements.

In some embodiments, the mounting mechanism for each roller may includea click-and-hold feature to hold each roller in a position for holdingthe semiconductor device between the rollers.

The several embodiments described herein are solely for the purpose ofillustration. The various features described herein need not all be usedtogether, and any one or more of those features may be incorporated in asingle embodiment. Therefore, persons skilled in the art will recognizefrom this description that other embodiments may be practiced withvarious modifications and alterations.

1.-14. (canceled)
 15. A method comprising receiving a semiconductordevice in an opening in a carrier while forcing opposed grip elementsaway from each other, said opposed grip elements at opposite sides ofsaid opening.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: downwardlypivoting said grip elements while forcing said grip elements away fromeach other.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: biasing saidgrip elements into said opening.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinsaid grip elements are elliptical rollers.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein said semiconductor device is a microprocessor.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, further comprising: applying a test procedure to saidsemiconductor device while said semiconductor device is engaged by saidrollers.